Going to Sitges Carnival (Mardi Gras)

WHAT IS SITGES CARNIVAL

Sitges Carnival is one of the largest and most spectacular parties in Spain — a full week of celebrations in a small coastal town just 40 minutes outside Barcelona. Around 250,000 people descend on Sitges every year for what locals call Carnestoltes — the last chance to go absolutely wild before the 40 days of Lent begin.

Sitges is the LGBTQI capital of Europe which makes the energy here unlike anything else. Outlandish costumes, drag queens, face paint, feather boas, sequins, body paint — this is not a normal night out. Costumes are not required but you will absolutely stick out without one.

THE PARADES

Dijous Gras — Fat Thursday

• Opening night of festivities
• King Carnestoltes arrives in a flourish of colour signalling the start of the week

Rua de la Disbauxa — The Debauchery Parade

• Takes place on Sunday night
• Up to 40 floats carrying over 2,000 participants
• No holds barred — exactly what the name suggests

Rua de l'Extermini — The Extermination Parade

• Takes place on Fat Tuesday — the biggest night of the whole festival
• Mourns the end of the celebrations
• Drag queens dressed in black, floats, music, and absolute hedonism along the seafront boulevard
• Fat Tuesday in 2026 falls on February 17th — this is the night to be there

Ash Wednesday — The Burial of the Sardine

• Marks the true end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent
• A large sardine effigy is carried to the beach and buried
• Barbecues on the beach for one last feast

GETTING THERE FROM BARCELONA

Option 1 — Train

• Departs from Barcelona Sants station
• Journey takes around 40 minutes
• Cheap and frequent — runs all day and into the night
• Buy your return ticket before you go — the queue at Sitges station after midnight on Fat Tuesday is brutal, thousands of people all trying to get back to Barcelona at the same time
• Train tickets — https://www.renfe.com/en/

Option 2 — Stoke Travel Private Bus

• Private return buses from central Barcelona directly to Sitges
• Pre-party at Red Garter Barcelona from 4:30pm with welcome drinks
• Buses depart from 6:30pm — last bus at 7:30pm
• Free sangria on arrival in Sitges
• Guided experience to the parade
• Buses bring you back to Barcelona between 1am and 2am — skip the train queue chaos
• Around €34 per person
• Book here — https://www.stoketravel.com/trip/sitges-festival/

ITINERARY FOR FAT TUESDAY

• 4:30pm — Check in at Red Garter Barcelona, Pg. de Colom 23 — welcome drink included
• 6:30pm — First bus departs for Sitges
• 7:30pm — Last bus departs — do not miss it
• 8:00pm — Arrive in Sitges — drop a pin where the bus stopped, that is your pickup point later
• 9:00pm — Rua de l'Extermini parade begins along the seafront boulevard
• 9:00pm to 1:00am — Wander the streets, hit bars and clubs, find the best parade viewing spot, dance until your feet give out
• 1:00am to 2:00am — Buses back to Barcelona depart from drop-off point
• 2:00am onwards — Back in Barcelona for the after party

WHAT TO WEAR

• Costume is not required but strongly recommended
• Go all out — sequins, feather boas, drag, body paint, masks
• Bring a jacket — it is February and even in Spain it gets cold at night
• Comfortable shoes — you will be on your feet for hours

TIPS

• Book accommodation in Sitges months in advance if you plan to stay overnight — it sells out completely during Carnival week
• Book your bus or train back to Barcelona before you go — do not leave this to chance
• Drop a pin on your phone when the bus drops you off — finding the pickup point at 1am in a crowd of 250,000 people is harder than it sounds
• No baggage allowed on Stoke Travel buses — bring only what fits in your pockets
• Bring cash — ATMs in Sitges run dry quickly during Carnival

MUST BOOK IN ADVANCE

• Stoke Travel private bus from Barcelona — https://www.stoketravel.com/trip/sitges-festival/
• Train tickets Barcelona to Sitges — https://www.renfe.com/en/
• Sitges hotels and accommodation — https://www.booking.com/city/es/sitges.html

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